On June 12, 2025, more than 250 in-person attendees—and over 120 virtual participants—gathered at Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District to celebrate the launch of UHN’s newest research collaborative centre: the Collaborative Centre for Immunology to Immunotherapy (Ci2i). The inaugural Ci2i Symposium brought together leading experts in immunology, cell therapy, virology, and immunotherapy for a day of networking, scientific dialogue, and learning.
The event opened with Drs. Tracy McGaha, Chair of the Ci2i Symposium Planning Committee, Brad Wouters, Executive Vice President of Science and Research at UHN, and Pam Ohashi, Chair of Ci2i. Dr. McGaha took the stage first to welcome attendees and set the tone for an exciting day ahead, followed by Drs. Wouters and Ohashi who spoke about the significance of the centre’s launch and shared their vision for the future of immune-related research at UHN.
Throughout the day, researchers from the University of Toronto and UHN presented their work, highlighting the breadth and depth of ongoing research in immunology, virology, immunotherapy, and related fields. Attendees were encouraged to ask questions and engage in thoughtful discussions with the presenters.
Presenters from UHN’s Toronto General Hospital Research Institute included:
● Dr. Brian Coburn, Senior Scientist
● Dr. Slava Epelman, Senior Scientist
● Dr. Stephen Juvet, Scientist
● Dr. Sonya MacParland, Senior Scientist
Presenters from UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre included:
● Dr. Naoto Hirano, Senior Scientist
● Dr. Tracy McGaha, Senior Scientist
● Dr. Linh Nguyen, Head, Centre for Cell Manufacturing
● Dr. Trevor Pugh, Senior Scientist
● Dr. Ben Wang, Head, Centre for Integrative Immune Analysis
Other presenters a part of TeamUHN included:
● Dr. Gideon Hirschfield, Director, Autoimmune Liver Disease Program, Francis Family Liver Clinic and Toronto Centre for Liver Disease
● Dr. Elmar Jaeckel, Medical Director, Ajmera Transplant Centre
Presenters from the Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto included:
● Dr. Dana Philpott, Associate Chair, Research
● Dr. Alberto Martin, Professor
● Dr. Jennifer Gommerman, Professor
Two international keynote speakers—Dr. Huji Xu, from Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, and Dr. Donna Farber, from Columbia University—bookended the day’s presentations. These internationally recognized researchers provided a global perspective on immune science, showcased their field-defining work, and applauded the Ci2i for its focus on innovation and collaboration.
The symposium also featured a powerful talk by Charlotte Grad, a Ci2i patient partner and former stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient treated at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. As a CAR-T cell therapy recipient, Charlotte shared her journey, reminding the audience of the real-world impact of immune-based research. “I am here today because of you,” she said to a captivated audience. Her story underscored the life-changing impact that immunology and immunotherapy research at UHN has—and will continue to have with the establishment of the Ci2i.
Ci2i extends its sincere thanks to everyone who helped make the day such a success. This includes the Ci2i Symposium Planning Committee, Firdaus Bakharia, Sara Lamorte, and Ci2i Project Manager Ksenia Meteleva; Dr. Tracy McGaha, Chair of the Ci2i Symposium Planning Committee; Drs. Robert Inman and Naoto Hirano, Co-Chairs of Ci2i; Pam Ohashi, Chair of Ci2i; the Ci2i Executive Committee; and the many volunteers.
The Ci2i team also thanks the Symposium’s five sponsors and three exhibitors:
● Title Presentation Sponsor: 10x Genomics
● Morning Keynote Speaker Sponsor: CDD Vault
● Evening Presentation Sponsors: Bio-Rad Laboratories, and Sanofi
● Patient Partner Sponsor: Cytek Biosciences
● Exhibitors: STEMCELL Technologies, Miltenyi Biotech, and Olink